Happyfatchick

I don’t save the lives of spiders, bugs or rodents. In my ex-house, I walked into our kitchen from the breakfast nook once and there was the most ENORMOUS spider I’d ever seen in my entire life. I’m in Georgia; no tarantulas. But this dude had huge hairy legs. I jumped 3 feet and said some select swear words. My husband get up and walks over, acting like a big fat eye roll - and then HE jumped 3 feet and danced a little. It was a beast. He went in the garage and came back with a plank and tried to smush the intruder into the cabinet. Spider ran under the dishwasher. Eventually he came out (and died). Another time (same house) we got a rat. We had water and woods all around, and I wasn’t surprised to have a rat, but I was not happy about it. He ATE half the bulb of my pony tail palm. He left big rat poop on my dining room TABLE. Lord have mercy. One night, in the kitchen, I could hear him under the cabinet. Underneath. I told my husband (loudly, and with gestures) that he NEEDED to get in here and DOOOO something, that MEN take care of issues like RODENTS!!!!! [doesnt that sound like an ad from a Sears catalog in 1946??). Anyway, for emphasis, I kicked the cabinet. The rat (who’d moved during my sermon) was apparently startled and FELL OUT. I screamed SOOOO loud, sort of blacked out and came to in the laundry room, still hyperventilating and doing all sorts of aerobics. It was ugly. I called an exterminator the next day and in 3 days, the rat was gone. (I mean to rodent heaven). The dumbass exterminator comes out and says “yep, it was a chipmunk, just like I thought”, holding it out for me to see. I gaze upon his “chipmunk” who is massive, and who’s trailing a tail 8 inches long. I said “that’s no chipmunk”. He actually sent pics to his boss and came back to tell me it was, in fact, a brown rat. He’s a Norway rat, he said proudly. “He’s a dead rat” I thought proudly. that was a fun house (beautiful, beautiful house - I loved it so much). But all that water and dead wood and woodsy setting - we had an armadillo under our walk out front, fairly regular snakes in the yard, a green lizard on my moms drapes one night, the huge spider and assorted scorpions, and a tree frog who stayed with us a long time. One night I was watching tv in the living room which sported a French type double door with no panes. It was raining, and had been all day. I hear a BANG on the door. I flipped on the light and looked out - didn’t see anything. Sat back down. About 20 minutes later, BANG on the glass. I look again. Don’t see a thing. About 20 minutes later, BANG. This time, I opened the door to look - and found a quite dazed bull frog sitting there. I took a pic of him, and probably posted it.

@beckie: you posted a couple weeks ago you’d gottten a p/t job and were very excited. How did that work out? Are you still there? also, when you were having phone issues you said you were on your husbands phone. I sort of took this to mean he’s on your side of the bars now and handed you his phone to use. Is he out? Is he in some sort of anger management therapy? I am absolutely addicted to audio listening. I get my books thru Amazon because they tend to be a wee bit cheaper than straight thru audible and I have a set fee amount I won’t go over. I get so sorely disappointed with a bad reader though. I’ve ALWAYS had issues with being read to because I’m a fast reader and I can’t stand the pace some of them use. But my PET peeve is the flat line readers. The ones who say “the house is on fire!!!” With the same inflection as “and they all had cake”. when I go to browse for a new book, occasionally they have an audio book dump and I can pick up books for $2.99 and $3.99. I buy up a bunch at those prices because if it turns out i hate it, I’m ok with ditching it. There was a memorable one where I could ACTUALLY hear the reader take a drink of water fairly often. With ice tinkling and everything! Pause, tinkle, sip, set down, tinkle, sigh, continue. I didn’t make it through that one. im a solitary worker with very noisy equipment. Blocking it with earbuds and a good story is awesomeness! I’ve listened to allllll the podcasts I could possibly have had an interest in - I’m having to wait for the podcast community (come ONNNN Payne!!!) to find new stuff and catch up. I like the ones that take several pc’s to tell the whole story. I just wrote down a best of ‘20 list I need to browse. I don’t believe I have an auditory issue such as those listed - but I will say that (uh..., and-uh....., consistent habitual nose or throat clearing, “like I said” at the beginning or “and all” at the end make me stabby. I end up completely distracted and counting the offenses. A people pusher came to visit me once, trying to get me to commit to using his temp people. He said “like I said” several times at the beginning. [and as we’d had NO prior discussions, he’d never, in fact, “said” ANYTHING to me before!!!]. As the discussion moved along, the “like I said” got so rapid it turned into “likeisa”. An utterly useless habitual thrash became an issue I couldn’t hear over. In the end I told him I would never be able to deal with him, as he’d just used the term “like I said” 2,367 times in 10 minutes (Which wasn’t true, as I didn’t begin to count until at least 3 minutes in). And that he needed communication therapy to deal with the public effectively. Rude, maybe, but i’d want to know, if it were me.

@Zella, it turns out it actually possible to listen to the same set of music for 2 days straight. Straight. But I’m working, the machines are very loud. It’s not a barrage of noise in my face. Just every now and then, it occurs to me that it’s the same set. And I think, I should change that...

It’s on the Ocmulgee and I only ever go from Henry Co. I think what you’re talking about is the equestrian park they built in Conyers for the Olympics in 96. Our place on the river is not a finished park of any kind, just trails that wind down by the river.

Halt and Catch Fire. I never saw it, but as an interesting bit of trivia, I know (on a deeply personal level) who did the chairs for that set when it was in production. I didn’t know until right now that ANYBODY saw it. another bit of useless trivia: I have a nephew whom I absolutely adore who is as fundy as a Duggar any day of the week. Seriously fundy from the ground up. His dad (my bro) went to Bob Jones and loves to preach - alas, no one else wanted to hear him. His wife is lovely and graceful and loving and she gave birth only five children but would have done 13 just as happily. Anyway, their church kept having services until the state shut churches down. At Easter they all went in their cars and parked together and had a loud speaker blaring at them in the parking lot. As soon as restrictions were lifted, they were back in church and most of the pictures don’t show much masking happening. i loooove these people, I honestly do. But. At Thanksgiving. My neaphews wife (who is a fb enthusiast) posted 20 pics of them all together with my bro and wife, all the in laws packed into a smallish space. My bro is 70 but has soooo many health problems he looks and acts 90. today she posted pics from last night, their annual gingerbread decorating night. Same people as Thanksgiving, crowded around the same table. But I mean. I’m sure they started off the gathering with prayer - OF COURSE THEY DID!!! And nobody has gotten sick (or refused to show up) yet. So far, they’ve pulled it off and posted about it. I’m so jealous. I think I might just show up for Christmas dinner. 😳 by the way, screw the math - I seriously had no idea over 3M people lived in CT. That’s a smallish piece of real estate for that many people.

@Mindthinkr, I think I get it. I really do think I understand. Somewhere embedded in all the backnforth was a little comment that “everybody thinks we’re together”. And you call him Mr Chemo. In my book, that’s a rock and a hard spot. If he weren’t Mr Chemo, and he happened to be fleet footed, healthy and snapping at life, you’d be over it and could nudge him off the cliff (so to speak). Maybe not a cliff, but out the door. But he IS Mr Chemo and it just wouldn’t look so great to nudge him at this point. I think I see the whole picture. Heartless. You’re not, but you don’t want that to be the general consensus. I get that. Don’t butt bump him right this minute. Ugh, what a situation. Let’s think. How much more chemo has he left? What’s his prognosis? Is he getting better? (Can you tell? I know chemo is horrific - it may be hard to tell if it’s helping if it makes him ill). Is there a stunt double? I mean, do you have a friend who’s team Thinkr? Is there someone you can confide in who will maybe help with his demands so you can ease your foot off the gas? if not, I think you need to take into yiur “confidence” the neighborhood gossip and tell them that y’all broke up, and his demands are just more than you feel obligated to complete. Also, make it clear he broke up with YOU. You may have to fudge a little on that part - do whatcha gotta do. (Or that there never was a “thing”, whatever the case may be). I think you probably only need to “confide” in one person. They’ll take it from there. (Also, whine a little to that gossipy person about you doing all his shopping [Italian Schmalian] AND cooking. You might mention to the Gossip that he needs to be on the prayer chain as well as the meal chain. How hard would it be for the other neighbors to run over and leave a plate of food on the table? And then you need to tell Mr Chemo Advantage gently that you’re going to have to have some more time for yourself. Tell him you’ve loved being his slave trusted friend, but he’s going to have to find someone else to help with _____”. My (sort of) assumption is that you’re truly afraid he will pass on, and you will have passed out of his life. Awkward in a tight neighborhood. I just kinda don’t think he has the right to depend on you like he does because he has health issues. It’s not fair. He’s blackmailing you, and you’re letting him. I could say that to him (some others on here obviously could as wel), but it’s not your nature. If you don’t ease up though, one day you’re gonna blow and then you’ll sure enough be in the newsletter. Also, you don’t want to hate him as he is declining (if that’s the case). But where you’re headed is a certain hate situation. Because you’re trapped. Tell him. That’s all I got. Tell him, and give him the opportunity to fix things himself. Tell him he’s taking advantage of you, and he ought to be ashamed. Just up and TELL him. Put that tiny little ear piece in and I’ll tell you what to say. Move your mouth and I’ll fill in the blanks for you. but. I do get it. I think I do. It’s a tricky situation. Sticky wicket (is that right??). Practice that butt bump. You may need it. Talk to that gossipy person and watch the ball roll. isn’t it funny how we all know exactly what we’d do - but none of us are actually there except her??? It’s a mess for sure.

Who said something earlier today about not wanting Pandora to pick their music? Because sometimes she wants to listen to the same song for 10 hours... I thought that was funny at the time - but now I’ve been listening to the Piano Guys Christmas for probably 10 hours and I can’t make myself change it. @SunnyBeBe before we moved into our cracker box, we lived in a fully established (well over 20 years) neighborhood so close to a tower, I could see it blinking at night. But I kid you not, if my phone rang, I had to walk outside, down my driveway and into a specific spot in the culdesac to get reception. All my family and friends knew this, and would just call and hang up, wait for me to get out to the road to call them back. Funny, but also not one bit funny. We got a booster and all kinds of boxes with lights and eventually I could talk inside. Fairly pleasant!!

Beautiful, Lookie

I just read an article about that and a list of things that will be restricted. I’m so confused. You all know I love my camping. When WE camp, I’m very particular about who’s in my space. We don’t hug, share spoons or beds or toilets with others. I brought my own, thanks. I’ve had long conversations with many, many, MANY people while camping. My husband swears I talk to dumpsters, tree stumps and the occasional fence post. But I don’t TOUCH people. We don’t HANDLE Objects they’ve been holding. I do not for the life of me understand how overnight camping affects anyone else. I bring my own damn house for Pete’s sake!!! I can’t even THINK what I’d have to do to contaminate someone’s else’s space. We don’t GO camping to hold hands and sing Kum-by-ya, that’s a vicious rumor. Most places these days, I can check in online; I don’t even hand someone a card. I JUST reserved a spot to go see my manatee son (Kevin) in February. I gave them a number, they gave me a spot - we’ll get there and leave (conceivably) without ever touching another human. I “could” actually arrive, stay and leave presumably without ever talking to another human. But. I won’t. I’m sorry, I guess it’s my turn to lose my mind. I must have Covid rage. I read thru the California list, and it just seems that several of the things they plan to lock down (or out) are counterproductive. If you make people feel like breathing... ANYWHERE... is prohibited... it seems like a recipe for mutiny. For example, if someone says I can’t go camping over here in Georgia (where I assume Covid is just as deadly), I’m going to scream. Camping. Seriously??? So I can go to the state park and lick every tree and sneeze in every bathroom during the daytime as a visitor, but can’t go to my own dwelling to cook or sleep and contain my germs just seems. Stupid. Near our property at the river is the Georgia state owned equestrian park. It’s NOT a campground, camping isn’t allowed there. It is strictly meant to be a place people park a truck and horse trailer, unload horse(s) and go ride trails near the river. Load up later and go home. During the mass shutdown, that park was closed. CLOSED!!! It’s a PARKING LOT!!! I guess all the state parks were - that’s the only one I saw on a regular basis. It’s not even MANNED! I don’t own a horse so I shouldn’t care, but REALLY??? How is parking, unloading (or loading) your own horse in your own vehicle with your own hands conducive to the spread of a virus? the thing is - we’re all bored out of our minds. Why take away something completely innocuous that someone could conceivably enjoy??? That’s just MEAN. how about they quit worrying over stupid things like inoffensive or extremely low likelihood of spread and make a rule that there has to be a person at every retail store door with a spray bottle of hand sanitizer? Like on a cruise. I’m seriously irritated by this. I could go in my local Target (if I wanted to) and touch every single item IN THE STORE with covid laden hands, but I can’t drive to a parking lot in the woods in the open air, unload Trigger and go for a ride. Oh, and when I get through touching every thing in Target, I’m gonna use that little touch pad that’s protected by this grimy looking little plastic pad over the numbers - because OBVIOUSLY I could leave germs on the actual key pad but NOT on the protective cover. I hope that’s not offensive to anyone, and I hope there’s a logical reason that camping ought to be shut down that I’m just not seeing. ppppppppllllllease make this go AWAY!!!!!

And I am sitting here doing fist pumps. I’m living vicariously through you.

It is!!! Someone on this thread still has the older one where you only see her back, but Belle, Auriella and Cinderella are all bent over giving her their full attention. I forget now who told me that. She’s the BOSS, I’m just telling you. Don’t you love it?? I could just sit and look at it for hours. partly my fascination with it comes from the river where it was taken. Over the years, the family has seen and gathered much hard evidence that it was a Native American settlement at some point. My FIL had a giant rock hollowed out as deep as a bathroom sink from grinding. Grinding what, I don’t know. I’m not sure how far back in history this went, or what they were capable of growing. But whenever I’m there, I feel surrounded by spirits. Closer to us in history is the foundation and some partial walls of an old mill house. It was made from River rocks gathered right THERE. (River is full of granite boulders). Walls are 4 feet thick. As you drive along close to the mill house, if you know to look and have some idea what it looks like, you can find the aqueduct dug out to divert the river water to the mill. It’s just the coolest place. This is the original shot of the trees, but if you play with the lighting you can see where the cloud is coming down to hover at the river. It was incredibly cool to BE there that night. I loved it. also: I don’t blame Sassypants AT ALL for not wanting to go to school on her bday. Mines in summer and I was HAPOY I didn’t have to go to school for part of the day on MYYYY birthday. My birthday: my way. Not in school. And if I would have had some say-so, I would have let her stay. I worked birthdays when I had to when I got older - I’m not sure you get permanent behavior issues to let them win sometimes.

She did. I can’t say if a gun was involved, but she went. Today I went to Great American Cookies and bought a chocolate chip double doozie and had them drop sprinkles on the icing from the sides. The HEAVEN on her face. I think that kid would eat toilet paper if it included sprinkles. I also bought her glittery sneakers. So I’m just sayin, maybe for today only - but I was definitely GOTY.

Yesterday was the birthday of the tiny little elf that SHALL be queen. She started kicking up a Fuss on Monday saying “I don’t have to go to school on my birthday”. Mom: yes, you do Kenna: you shouldn’t HAVE to go on your birthday. Mom: but you DO Tuesday night. Mom: so what would you like for your birthday dinner tomorrow night? Kenna: I’m not telling you until you say I don’t have to go to school tomorrow

We went to the river last weekend in the Butterbean camper. The water was way high and way fast and I’m way too chicken to try that. So we didn’t kayak, but the weather was knock-out GORGEOUS. It was just fabulous. We’d been trying to get there forever, and it just would not work out. The first night, there was fog, and I got a really interesting pic through the trees that I wanted to share. I need to play with it remove the planet to the right - I just am mesmerized by this creepy-but-lovely pic for some reason.

OHIO PIRATE SPEAKS MY LANGUAGE: “ I am seriously considering doing a solo weekend jaunt to the mountains in January. I have spent a few hours scouring AirBnB for a small cabin somewhere near Boone, NC”. 🥰 Once when I was going thru some vallies and had been hanging in by my fingernails, suffering a little, we went to those mountains, and the view from our cabin was to DIE for. I took the whole boxed set and watched the Sopranos from one end to the other, cuddling with my dogs. It was quite healing. BOONE, NC rocks like a BEAST!!! I have seen spectacular places in the US, adopted a manatee named Kevin in Florida - going to see him in Feb I hope I hope), met some amazing and wonderful people - there is just nowhere on this earth that speaks to me or heals my heart more than Boone. I love Blowing Rock I love the BlueGrass Parkway (homies up there call it the BG), I love the falls and the parks and it is magical balm on sore spots. I am absolutely taken aback every time I take the drive between Boone and Blowing Rock. I love Sugar and Banner Elk and Grandfather. If you live east of the MS and get the chance, visit. The New River which is easiest access in Todd flows NORTH and is sort of a lazy fat stream - but is the very same New River under that ENORMOUS trestle bridge that is quite famous in West Virginia. Also, the scene in Forrest Gump when he’s been running and running and has the beard and wipes his face and leaves the smiley face on the man’s shirt was filmed at Grandfather Mountain. His brother stood in for him and did those scenes, but Tom was in SC and came to Grandfather to see him. linville Falls is amazingly gorgeous. The continental divide is just there in that area. I just... want to BEEEE there. I have a big fat laminated poster of that whole end of the Blue Ridge on the wall above my washer. Sigh. I have obviously missed traveling. Some of the best best people EVER. I just love it. I’ve never had a BAD time traveling - but Boone tops my charts. I need to share an absolutely horrible situation and then I’m going to tell you how someone with good intentions can really screw up. My daughter’s bestie (B) got pg at their senior prom. Probably not AT the prom, but close. She had that baby and 3 more, somehow managed to get a degree and then a masters and in early Ed and has been teaching for years. That marriage was a disaster, and they divorced. Cigars and party hats all around. Baaaaaad. She has since remarried and we adore this guy. Plus, he’s very easy on the eyes. (I swear, I just heard my daughter say “moooo-oooommm!!!”) He’s hot, I’m just saying. before they got married,I saw pics of B with her soon-to-be step son and said to my daughter “she looks like she could eat him up! I take it she likes this kid”. And she does. that child is now 14. They have just discovered he has adrenal cancer, it’s already metastasized to the point that B said the doctors tried to steer them away from chemo. But they did offer and he went for it, hoping against hope it will be a miracle or will buy him some time. It looks very grim at this point, but he just started chemo yesterday. And Thats horrifying. There is nothing remotely humorous about THAT. Gut wrenching. my daughter texts me this morning and tells me this awful thing, and I’m heartbroken. I’ve known B since they were 14 I guess, and i know she is a mess. She’s like that. My baby says to me “I need you to get her a card, Mama. Will you do that?” SUUUURE, I say!!! (I mean, I love B and I HATE this - plus it’s the season of giving. I’m not entirely sure a gift card will make anything better, but hey. I’m game). I said does it matter where? [Did I detect a tiny pause?] “nnooo - anywhere is fine”. All righty then. I’m going to Kroger later, will that work? [Again: was that a pause?] “That’ll be fine, ma. I asked Daddy and he’s getting one too”. I did go in Kroger and get the gift card. She plans to see B tomorrow I think, so I called her tonight and said “I got the gift card for Kroger; it’s on the island in the kitchen if you don’t see me before you leave”. She says “Awwwww, Mama, you’re so sweet, thank you for doing that. You’re the best. But did you get her a card?” Once in a great while, it actually HURTS a little to be me. and to complete the story: I have recovered and I have a beautiful card in hand ready to sign. Cuz I’m the boss. one other cute moment: my grand is here 2 days a week. He’s not spoiled. No-sir-ee-bob. (Mmmmm-hmmmmm). He wanted sprite with his lunch the other day and sometimes a let him have a little. But all I had was flat and nasty. I didn’t say anything, I just gave it to him. When he got up from his nap later, he asked if he could have some more Sprite water.

@ginger90: I think you’ve got the posse behind you for sure. What the actual ... SERIOUSLY??? Mask acne is a new subject for me. I am mostly at home and leave so rarely I have to look for a mask when I do. I ordered 25 or so and am down to 2. That’s how I roll. I'm so sorry Lookie. I often think it would be easier if there was a timer for heartbreak. I mean, if you had surgery, EVERYBODY knows the 3rd day is the worst. And it gets better from there. But grief doesn’t have that luxury of knowing when you’ll feel better. And honestly, there is no “better”. There’s that kind of numbing over time when you can think of it and not gasp, or not throw your head back and wail. Some amount of time will pass you can say his name without choking. Or wake up without your first thought being he’s not here. But there’s no gauge and no way to know. You just have to stay on for the whole ride. It sucks, without a doubt. We really are here for you, and all of us would love it if we could make you feel that. on a brighter note (if you’re wicked at heart - and I am!): a friend of mine on FB got in her car to leave work today and found a squirrel. A real furry, living, breathing, UNHAPPY one. I don’t know why, but the grinch in my soul found that hilarious. I would be in ICU right now - but as long as it wasn’t me, it was funny.

Fi-yer IS a word. I had a friend here from NY last year and I asked my husband if the oil was still in the basement. She looked up, absolutely stunned and said “what??? Say that again!!” Then (to herself) “wow. They really say ool. They really do pronounce it that way”. Back to me with a big grin “say it again!!” but here’s why I had to respond to your post. I played piano for 157 years in church - all of them in Georgia, none of them in areas known for worrying over things like pronunciation. And I can’t even TELL you how many songs contain the word GLORY, or begin to spell it like we say it. GLO-reeeee is about as close as I can get. I would almost have to slow down a bit to give the choir members enough room to get their GLO-ree on before the next phrase.

But in that particular speakers’ head, they DID say “our”. They are fully expressing “this is OUR house”. that particular squashing of correctness comes from Appalachia. My husband does it if he’s not careful (grew up on it). “It’s about an are from here”. The really dedicated ones would bend it almost to “it’s about an air from here”. They would think YoU were nuts for having a problem. There’s a difference between butchering a word or phrase because you never thought your way through it, and just being so lazy with your speech that you use mispronounced words as the norm. My West Virginia friend asked me once to borrow my ARN. I’d know her for awhile but thought this was funny enough to make her repeat it several times before I told her, “yeah. Come get the IRON”. Same girl took shairs daily (the kind that make you feel clean and where you can wash your hair). I am personally trying to work on my own personal little “did you really say that??” Word”. I have taken complete ownership of the word “own”. when the dog takes too long, I yell “Come. OWN.” It means come “on” down here. I am MORTIFIED when I HEAR that come froM my lips. I don’t know how or when the “w” found its way in there. I’ve also cringed to hear my own voice and lips form the entire conversation: ”I’m own goda store. You’owna go?” And I was generous to the reader to use spaces. There are few or no spaces. The words get rolled into the dough sentence, no punctuation and no bother. “Technically” what we say is this: “imgoinna store. Y’ownna go?” in light of all that, and confessing that country white is no better than white trash Ebonics, it seems to ME I could pass on what ought to be minor trash lite (but isnt). 1) I seen it. I seen him yesterday at-ta store. 2) them are gooood!!!!! That’s not what I usually get but them are gooood them right there make my skin crawl.

I think I held that just one beat too long and now I don’t know how to make it bigger. Here’s what I have to say:. By golly damn it does NOT seem like too much to ask to have one week of dealing with nobody’s bodily fluids but your own. You need to book a cruise and get yourself pampered and looked after for a week. Not a staycation:. You need OUTTA THERE. A week minimum. Book it for January and don’t give anybody any information at all. Byeeeee. Hahaha!!! Do you look in the mirror and say “GUH!!! How long have I been looking this bad???” My mom (dementia) used to look at her own pics all the time and say with genuine confusion “who is THAT???” I’m sorry caregiving get like that to you. After about 6 years of having sole responsibility for first Daddy, hen Mama, I hired my cousin as a live in caregiver. She saved my life and I mean that sincerely, and genuinely. At least once a year I write her a note and tell her humbly how much it meant to me for her to be the ONE. I am not sure at all I would be here today without her. She was good and kind and gentle but firm, she lived my mother with all she had to give. I wish you could have had that experience cookies. she went on to make that a career after being a professional nanny in Nashville for many years. She has now cared for and led many folks to the finish line. The standing joke is: if you’re ever sick and look up to see her in your room, it’s not good news!!!

@Jeeves, I pulled down your quote box and lost it. Somewhere in cyber space are your comments about covid. (That makes me laugh - that someone was texting in Japan and just got zapped with your post). I was trying to box your fears about covid. I feel that. I get that. I’m sure there are eye rolls with my compound stories - my bubble is pretty big. But my SIL on the far side of the compound started calling about our plans - and I put her off and off and off - I mean our typical Thanksgiving is HUGE. I always joke about how Thanksgiving means we dress a little better to eat with the same people we ate with yesterday. I just have this quaking fear because the bro and SIL also have 2 grown married sons who would be there and... God only knows what they do, or who they see, or what cooties they may drag in - and OMG I HAAAAAAAAAATE to be this way. [Side note: one is a tattoo artist and one is a professional alcoholic who does electrical work on the side. Mean but true]. First we thought we might actually go to the river, fry a turkey (like the pilgrims did, you know), make grilled corn (which they may HAVE done) and skewered veggies - I was all over that. Let the cooties into the atmosphere. But the SIL said her kids wouldn’t go for that. (I think they might have). Then we decided to move the tractor out and set up tables in the red barn. But. Today I had to make the call and say no, I just can’t. I feel almost like this covid monster has grown legs and is walking around looking for someone to eat. I mean - I guess it’s all in my head, but I’m thinking how many of us are left? Like it’s a zombie and has a life of its own. I haven’t really been “scared” of it at all... until right now. Honestly, it’s almost accidental I have such good covid practices - I work at home and text my grands all day. We yell back and forth across the acres. I just don’t have to go anywhere much. Now. I’m actually scared. Like @Jeeves I just have this creepy crawly icky feeling. Kind of that impending doom thing. Isn’t that weird when we can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel? What IZZZZZZZ this yuck I’m feeling?? Yiu described it exactly with “deep personal anxiety”. Yes. @rue721 GO YOUUUUU!!!

Good news Sunday!! I got a new-to-me car. It’s not a miracle car or anything. In fact it’s a midsize SUV so I can haul the Butterbean camper if I want to. Its not fancy, but it’s seeet, rides like a dream and makes me smile. Plus: it’s RED!! ETA: I’ve been driving my old car for nearly 11 years. I know that car like I know my house shoes. Not only am I relearning how to use a backup camera (mine died about 5 years ago, along with the backup lights. Backup lights are THE BOMB!!!) I get in the car every time looking for a place to put a key - which I don’t have. Technology gives me a headache. Every time I go somewhere I have this moment when I just sit in the drivers seat thinking “uhmmmmmm, what now??”

Crazy cat - because of your name, I figured you had back up cats. Plural. This makes me so sad, I HATE to lose pets. I love my babies in a hearty and full throated way. Not a pet: I have grandchildren. (About this tall, as it turns out). NOTE: Thisnis with hands supposedly “clean”. 😳

I thought I was done posting for the day, but Dr Bug had to bring up Dolly Parton. I LOOOOVE ME SOME DOLLY!!!!! I could just listen to her talk, I want to sit and talk to her, to squeeze her like a lemon. I’ve never been crazy about her voice but would listen to her for 3 days straight. I looooove her. One of my props people admitted to me once that her middle name is Jolene. I almost peed my pants. You’re KIDDING!!!! Nope. For real. I said “OMG, don’t you just ❤️ Dolly?? no. She says, kinda bristly. No??? Why on earth NOT??? You’re practically her CHILD! She says Unfortunately, she once dated Dollys nephew. They went to a concert, and Dolly called her out. Embarrassed her a little, but she lived. The kicker was that the nephew turned out to be THAT GUY. The one you never quite get over. And he hurt her in a big way, and that’s all tied to Jolene and by default to Dolly. That’s the saddest story ever. I mean, I get it, kind of, but really. Dolly!!! and because I’m a tricia space hog, my baby son and wife are preggers, and it’s a girl. My first given name is Zelma (which apparently is weirder than I thought since spellcheck argued with me through 5 tries). They know they want Marie as a middle name, as it’s a strong name in our family (and the mothers middle name). I’ve been calling this child Zelly Marie and I’m just not getting a strong TEN on the vibe meter. They both have declared they like unusual names, so THERE YOU GO!!! Done and DONE.

Just as I came to ask about this, I realized you were talking about two entirely different couples. I myself have a beast of an immune system, no reason for this phenomenon but there you go. I was eating something the other day and it absolutely NO taste. And I had that “ooooh, huh...” moment. I am that person who won’t have symptoms but my spouse will take off with it. it is TERRIFYING to me that the symptoms are in a bucket and are sprinkled out randomly. There is no rhyme or reason. and almost on par with Covid this morning is thet I put an underwire bra on my saggy baggies his morning. It was new, with tags. Ive been avoiding it for over a year and took the plunge. It’s been 30 minutes. I will say this: if I were at the pearly gates and the angels said to me, you can come in here and live peacefully forever but you have to wear an underwire every day (one that, FYI, has been fitted professionally). Or you can choose to live in hell and feel the fire every day. Forever. Underwire or hell. I would actually have to consider this before responding. “Underwire or hell?” “Can I have a minute??” UPDATE: underwire has left the building. Paid a lot of money for that sucker too. I despise underwire more than Brussels sprouts, squash and liver combined. (This is a mountain of disgust). What sadist thought that was a good idea??? I’ve decided at the ripe old (golden) age of 61 that I no longer care if they point East or west. If they’re covered and somewhat supported, south is fine with me. my niece just last week had hers removed and reconstructed. She was bigger than me. (Truthfully, she was ENORMOUS). Little stars were popping in thought bubbles all around my head. She has that propensity gene, so had an ace in her deck. Plus I think she may have almost smothered a baby or two.

@iwantcookies, those are HILARIOUS!!! Maybe (maybe???) they’re posting them for fun. Is the person who’s looking for $ to buy pants currently WEARING pants?? That’s what I wanna know!!!